I know the rules of good sleep hygiene. They say you should stop viewing screens long before bedtime and switch to books. Something about the blue lights and brain waves. But, Number One: I have no trouble falling asleep. I normally do so before I get the covers pulled all the way up to my chin. And, Number Two: I need to know where my children are. I’ve been programmed that way since my own childhood.

Back in the day, when we only had local news, our channel flashed a notice like the one pictured in this meme every night at 10:00pm. (They didn’t have a cool picture like this, because we didn’t actually have memes in the olden days.)

I suppose it was part of a campaign to fight juvenile delinquency. Maybe it worked, because it certainly stayed with me. More than forty years later, I still think of it most nights when I get ready for bed. That’s why I flip open my laptop for one more visit to all my social media sites.

Instagram tells me that Joe and Paxton worked out today, which means Joe had the day off, so I don’t need to check the police Twitter feed to see what’s happening in Joe’s precinct tonight. 

Facebook shows me Charity’s family at the mall in the venue where she and Ryan are going to sing in a few days. Looks like they had a blast, but the picture is tagged three hours ago, so I figure they are home in bed by now.

On Twitter, I see a conversation between Felicity and Serenity that gives me some insight into their thoughts for the day. Much higher and brighter than my own.

Then it’s back to Instagram one more time because several of the grandchildren hang out there.

Once I’ve made all my rounds and heard from all of the clan, only one more thing to do. I post my own status on Facebook with news from our day.

Because, it’s 10:00pm. My mom will want to know where her kids are, too.

Goodnight, Mama. We’re all tucked in.